Development of a Cross-Cultural Digital Platform Toolkit for Chinese Electronics Online Sellers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63313/EBM.9224Keywords:
Cultural Dimensions, Consumption Values, Digital Platform Characteristics, Structural Equation Modeling, Cross-Cultural E-CommerceAbstract
This study examined the relationships among Hofstede's cultural dimensions, Sheth's consumption values, and digital platform characteristics among cross-cultural consumers purchasing electronics online in China, and translated the findings into a practical toolkit for Chinese electronics sellers. Using a quantitative descriptive-correlational design, data were collected from 400 valid respondents—non-Chinese nationals residing in Hangzhou and the surrounding Zhejiang province who had purchased electronics online within the past twelve months. Because construct composites violated normality, the Unweighted Least Squares estimator was used for structural equation modeling, while the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests examined demographic differences. Epistemic value was rated highest (M = 6.24) and functional value lowest (M = 5.98), while linguistic adaptation was the most favorably rated platform characteristic (M = 6.11). The final structural model achieved excellent fit (χ² = 32.975, df = 52, p = .982; CFI = 1.000; RMSEA = .000) and revealed that digital platform characteristics fully mediated the effect of cultural dimensions on consumption value (β = .969 and β = 1.055, both p < .001). No significant demographic differences in consumption value were found.
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